Portable melting and heating apparatus.



No. 810,073. PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906.

H. B. NICHOLS. PORTABLE MBLTING AND HEATING APPARATUS.

APPLIoATIoN FILED JULY 19. 1904.

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No.- 810,073. PATBNTED JAN. 16, 1906. H. B. NICHOLS.

PORTABLE MELTING AND HEATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19. 1904.

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' HENRY B. NICHOLS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PORTABLE IVIELTING AND HEATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application lecl July 19. 1904. Serial No. 217,282.

T all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY B. NICHOLS, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Melting and Heating Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specication.

My invention has relation to portable heating and melting apparatus for use in manu- -facturing rail-joints of the type described and claimed in Patents Nos. 673,829, 717,025, and Reissue No. 12,074, the object being to provide means of efiicient character for supplying the molten spelter or other like material required in the joints, also to provide convenient means for heating the joints preparatory to pouring the spelter therein and for heating the ladles used in such pouring.

Vith these objects in view I mount one or more melting-pots or crucibles upon a suitable vehicle, said pots or crucibles being each surrounded by a shell or jacket, with an intermediate combustion chamber in which the heating burners are situated. These burners are preferably oil-burners, in which the oil is mixed with air in the burners, the air being supplied from storage-reservoirs maintained by an air compressor or compressors also mounted upon the vehicle and driven by a suitable motor. Air from the isaid reservoirs is also used to force the oil to the burners. Adjacent to the melting-pots or crucibles is a heating-stove for heating the pouring-ladles, the smoke and gases from the combustion-chambers being led through said stove and the heat thereof in part utilized to heat the said ladles. Other burners connected to the air and oil supplying pipes by flexible pipes or hose are also provided for heating the joints. In order to maintain the melting-pots or crucibles in a vertical position notwithstanding the position of the vehicle, the said pots or crucibles are mounted on trunnions in a frame, which is itself hung on trunnions on the vehicle-body, the two sets of trunnions being so arranged that one set will prevent the lateral tilting of the pots, while the other set will prevent tilting in the direction of the length of the vehicle.

My invention also consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all substantially as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a rear view of the same, and Fig. 3 avertical section through one of the melting-pots or crucibles.

The numeral 1 designates the supportingvehicle; 2, an air-compressor of any wellknown or suitable type, with its attached motor 3, compressed-air reservoirs or tanks supplied by the compressor 2 through the pipe 4, and 5 an oil-storage tank.

6 6 designate the outer shells or jackets of the melting-pots or crucibles 7, said shells or jackets having the refractory linings 8 and forming around the pots the combustionchambers 9.

10 designates suitable covers for the pots. The latter are provided with the trunnions 11which are journaled in the end bars of a carrier-frame 12, which is in turn supported on the vehicle-frame by trunnions 13, which are at right angles to the trunnions 11.

14 designates the burners in the combustion-chambers 9. Two of these burners are shown in each chamber. These burners are connected to the air-su ply pipes 15 by iiexible pipe-sections 16 and to the oil-feed pipes 17 by the flexible sections 18. The pipes 15 are supplied from the reservoirs 3 by the pipe 19, and the pipes 17 are connected to thetank 5 by the pipe 20. To furnish pressure for the oil-feed, the pipe 21 from the reservoirs 3 is ledinto the upper portions of the tank 5.

22 designates the ladle-heating stove, having the burners 22a supplied by the connections 23 and 24 from the air and oil pipes 15 and 17. Said stove is also heated by the smoke and gases from the combustion-chambers 9, which are carried thereto by the pipes 26. The burners 22aL are used at the commencement of operations to quickly heat the stove 22, after which `the requisite heat is largely furnished by the pipes 26. The latter are provided with the lball-joints 27 to take care of the movements necessary to maintain the horizontal positions of the crucibles.

28 designates the burners for heating the joints. These burners are supplied with oil and air by means of the flexible connections 29 to the pipes 15 and 17.

30 designates the tap-holes for theacruci- IOO bles, which are normall closed by means of plugs of clay or ot er material. (Not shown.)

31 is a brace connecting the two shells or jackets 6.

The motor or motors for the aircompressor may be electric motors supplied with current by a temporary connection with the supply-conductors of the railway in connection with which the apparatus is being used, or any other suitable power may be used. The Vehicle upon which `the apparatus yis mounted may be drawn by horses or other animals, or it may be propelledafter the manner of an automobile by motors of any lsuitable character.

Various changes may be made in the details of the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scopeof my invention. Hence I do not wishto be limi-ted -to the precise construction, arrangement, and combination of parts which I lhave herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire -to secure 'by lLetters Patent, is-

1. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a supporting Vehicle, of a frame pivotally supported on said vehicle, a melting-pot or crucible pivotally supthe said `pot or pots, and a heat-conducting `pipe or pipes leading from the combustionchambers of said pot or pots to the said stove.

4. 4The combination with a supporting vehicle, of Va `melting-pot or crucible carried thereby and supported kto maintain its Vertical position, a ladle-heating stove also carried on the Vehicle, and a jointed heat-conducting pipe lleading 'from the combustionchamber ofthe pot or crucible to the said stove.

In testimony whereof I have affixed mysignature in 'presence of two witnesses.

HENRY B. NICHOLS.

Witnesses:

E. W. NroHoLsoN, WM. D. GHERKY. 

